spirifer
noun
spi·ri·fer
| \ ˈspīrəfə(r)\
Definition of spirifer
1
capitalized
: a large genus (the type of the family Spiriferidae) of articulate brachiopods that have the arms supported within the shell by long spirally coiled spiralia which form a pair of cones with their apexes directed more or less laterally toward the ends of the long hinge line and that abound in Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous formations
2
or spiriferid \ spīˈrifərə̇d \ plural -s
[ spiriferid from New Latin Spiriferidae family of brachiopods, from Spirifer, type genus + -idae ]
: any brachiopod of Spirifer or a related genus
— called also spire-bearer
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